Four Abstract Compositions by Jean Gorin (Screenprints)

French painter and sculptor. Jean (Albert) Gorin was initially influenced by Matisse, van Gogh and Cézanne, he then discovered Cubism in Paris in 1923 and was particularly impressed by Albert Gleizes’s book Du Cubisme (Paris, 1921).

After a brief flirtation with Purism, he continued to move towards abstraction, especially after encountering Mondrian’s Neo-plasticism in 1926. Almost immediately, and permanently, he was converted to this aesthetic, creating works such as Composition No. 5 (1926; Paris, Pompidou). Gorin first exhibited his work in April 1928 at Lille with the group , alongside Mondrian and César Domela and others. In 1932 he travelled to the USSR and discovered Russian constructivism, another major influence in his work (especially Kasimir Malevitch), although Mondrian remained the prevailing one.

However, where Mondrian's neoplasticism would only admit vertical and horizontal lines in its compositions, Gorin developed his own style by introducing the circle and then oblique lines whilst retaining the geometric rigour of pure neo-plasticism. He always worked with the same primary colours (bright red, light yellow and ultramarine blue) forming strong contrasts on white and black backgrounds.

Jean Gorin's work can be found in some of Europe's most prestigious public and private art collections, and is also very sought after in the USA